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16th June 2023
09:32am BST
An armed robber's plans were foiled by shopkeeper who trapped him under a store's shutters as he attempted an "Indiana Jones-style slide" to escape.
Malcolm Trimble was captured in CCTV footage getting stuck underneath the metal roller shutters after targeting a store in Durham.
The 30-year-old had walked into the shop last month carrying a kitchen knife concealed in his sleeve before picking up a four-pack of lager and threatening the shopkeeper.
But the quick-thinking worker fled the premises and held the door closed while he calmly activated the security system to lower the shop’s roller shutters.
Trimble managed to wrestle open the door but realising he was about to be trapped, attempted an "Indiana Jones-style slide" to avoid the descending shutters.
But he mistimed his slide and ended up pinned to the floor - with his head inside the shop and his body in the street.
While the shopkeeper called 999, Trimble conceded he had been caught and cracked open a can of beer to drink while police made their way to the scene.
Officers arrived within minutes to find the suspect lying in the street with his head inside the shop.
They released the shutters and promptly arrested him.
Trimble was jailed for three years and four months after admitting attempted robbery and possession of a knife at Durham Crown Court on Wednesday.
Detective Sergeant Paul Mawson, of Durham Constabulary, joked: "It wasn’t the most difficult arrest we have ever made.
"To be honest, it was an open and shut case."
After the force uploaded the footage to social media, web users were quick to poke fun at the robber's hilarious mishap.
Richard Oldfield wrote: "I think that's the most satisfying thing I've seen posted for a long old time."
Christine Askew said: "If Carlsberg made escape rooms easier! Open and shutter case more like."
Stephen Dingwall added: "Think he needs a lager sentence."
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